News for the beekeeping community from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Ryan F. Quarles, Ed.D., Commissionerkd kd Tammy Horn Potter, Ph.D., State Apiarist
REMINDER: TIME TO RENEW MEMBERSHIP
Longtime KDA Beelines Graphic Designer Retires
Since 2015, Kentucky Department of Agriculture graphic designer Jim Trammel provided design and layout for the Beelines newsletter. He celebrated his last day at the office on Nov. 30, 2020. Thank you so much, Jim, for your artistic guidance. Kentucky beekeepers appreciate you, and we wish you the best in your retirement!  
Rest in peace, Bradley Dotson
We were saddened to hear about the passing of Bradley Dotson on Dec. 11, 2020. He and his wife, Kathy, were volunteers at the KY State Fair Bees and Honey Booth and he was president of Buffalo Trace Beekeepers Association in May’s Lick, KY. 
Certified Kentucky Honey Program Manager Stepping Down
Sarah Preston is stepping down as the Program Manager for the Certified Kentucky Honey Program. She has accepted a new position with Cabinet of Health and Family Services, Virology Department, effective Jan. 01, 2021.. We are extremely proud and grateful for her service to the beekeepers in getting the program started, and we wish her well with her new position.
Sarah Preston
CONGRATULATIONS, CODY BOWLING
Congratulations are in order to Cody Bowling, grandson of Lucky Frost (Pure Central KY Honey in Columbia, KY), who earned his Masters degree in Entomology at the University of Georgia, Dec. 2020. Proud of you, Cody!   
EVENTS
  • TODAY - Jan. 2, 2021 is the deadline for beekeepers to report the number of hives to their local Farm Services Agency (FSA) and sign form FSA-578 Report of Commodities by Jan. 2, 2021. This is important for ALL disaster programs (i.e. ELAP), even if someone isn’t enrolled in NAP coverage.

  • American Beekeeping Federation—January 5-7, 2021 (virtual) here.

  • American Bee Research Conference (ABRC), virtual (via Zoom) January 7-8, 2021. See the website here.
  
  • Apiary Inspectors of America—virtual, Jan. 12-14, 2021. Schedule and itinerary still being planned.

  • Eastern Kentucky Winter Bee School, Jan. 16, 2021. Virtual. Pre-registration Required. Schedule and pre-registration information can be found at the Perry County Cooperative Extension Office here. 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.  Free. 
PROJECT APIS M: UPDATES MANUSCRIPT
  • Project Apis M is updating its popular manuscript, “Indoor Storage of Honey Bee Colonies,” but readers can still download the current version at this website.

  • The benefits of indoor storage are consistent temperatures in the 37-42F range and darkness (a must!). These two climate conditions ensure that colonies will go broodless, and thus allows beekeepers to get a varroa mite treatment applied in January. Their bees are then mite-free and ready for a spring nectar flow. 

  • This manuscript also discusses some of the disadvantages such as the cost of building a structure to mice. It has some good “take-aways,” such as “garbage going in, garbage going out,” reinforcing the fact that indoor overwintering is not a magic “cure-all” for beekeepers. If you don’t have your bees in good shape in the fall, then you probably will not be satisfied with the survival results in the spring. 
EASTERN KENTUCKY BEE SCHOOL: JANUARY 16
  • 9‐10 a.m. Basic Beginner Beekeeping – equipment, location, How to get bees, Phil Craft (Veto‐Pharma) 
  • 10‐ 11 a.m. Laying Workers: Biology and what it means for the hive, Rebecca Westwick (UK)  
  • 11‐11:30 a.m. Bee Viruses and Testing Updates, Dr. Clare Rittschof (UK)
  • 11:30‐12:00 p.m. Marketing Honey, Sarah Preston, Certified Kentucky Honey Program.   
  • 12:00‐12:30 p.m. Federal Farm Services Agency Programs ‐ ‐ Conservation Reserve Program, Emergency Livestock Assistance Program, Non‐ Disaster Assistance Program, Lindsey New (FSA)
  • 12:30-1:00 p.m. Dr. Tammy Horn Potter (KDA)  State Apiarist Report, Finding and Marking Queens,  Asian Giant Hornet

For more information and to register for the Virtual Beekeeping School, call us at the Perry County Extension Office (606‐436‐2044), provide your name, address, phone number and email address. A link will be sent to your email sometime a week before the school.

This virtual Beekeeping school will be presented Via Zoom. Visit the Perry County Extension Service web page at http://ces.ca.uky.edu/perry and click on the Agriculture & Natural Resource Link for a registration form. Or contact Charles May at cmay@uky.edu.